Students from Choctaw Nation Head Start, Jones Academy Elementary, and seven area public schools in Durant, Oklahoma, will have an opportunity this week to hear from a NASA astronaut aboard the International Space Station.
The space-to-Earth call will air live at 10:20 a.m. EST on Tuesday, Jan. 31, on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.
NASA astronaut Nicole Mann will answer prerecorded questions from pre-K through 8th grade student participants. The event, hosted by the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, is an opportunity for students and tribal members to get a firsthand look at living and working in space, inspiring the next generation to pursue STEM. The downlink aligns to students’ current science, technology, engineering, and math curriculum, which uses NASA lessons. The event also includes the opportunity for tribal students to connect and be inspired by Mann, who is the first Native American woman to fly in space.
Media interested in covering the event should contact Randy Sachs at rsachs@choctawnation.com or 580-380-2597 no later than 10 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31.
For more than 22 years, astronauts have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, testing technologies, performing science, and developing the skills needed to explore farther from Earth. Astronauts living in space aboard the orbiting laboratory communicate with NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston 24 hours a day through the Near Space Network Tracking and Data Relay Satellites.
As part of Artemis, NASA will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future human exploration of Mars. Inspiring the next generation of explorers – the Artemis Generation – ensures America will continue to lead in space exploration and discovery.
See videos and lesson plans highlighting research on the International Space Station at:
